


in another time and in another place

by rosyyoun



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Lawyer!Seungwoo, Lawyer!Wooseok, M/M, Smut, Stripper!Hangyul, Stripper!Seungyoun, power bottom wooseok, top hangyul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 05:36:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21192437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosyyoun/pseuds/rosyyoun
Summary: hangyul doesn't remember that night. in five years, wooseok hasn't been able to forget it. he finds his second chance in the most unexpected place.





	in another time and in another place

**Author's Note:**

> i intended to write a one shot inspired by hangyul dancing on wooseok during idol room and obviously got very carried away. this work focuses on gyulcat but i have a little spin off for ryeonseung in progress as well! title from another place by bastille.

hangyul stumbles into the dimly lit dressing room, exhausted despite the fact that he’s only finished two sets.

“you look like shit,” seungyoun remarks, barely glancing up from his eyeshadow palette. 

“thanks, you too,” hangyul deadpans as he practically throws himself onto the cracked leather couch next to seungyoun. he grabs the iced americano with seungyoun’s name sharpied on the side and drinks half of it in one go. seungyoun would roll his eyes if he weren’t so focused on blending the perfect shade of burgundy along his lash line. the two of them are far past boundaries anyway; they’ve been co-workers for years and friends long before that. 

“don’t tell me you’re getting all dolled up for seungwoo,” hangyul teases, knowing what seungyoun’s been wanting to ask since he walked in the room. 

“is he here?” the elder replies, hating how eager the question sounds. seungwoo has been seungyoun’s favourite customer for a few months now. seungyoun insists it’s because of his generous tips and not because of his statuesque good looks, and hangyul doesn’t pry. at least not too much. 

“mhmm, he brought that friend again.” seungyoun finally meets hangyul’s eyes. 

“the brunette with the glasses?” he asks, snatching his americano back from hangyul. the younger nods.

“i don’t know why he comes, he never asks for private dances.” it was true that the mystery brunette was on the more _ reserved _ side of their customers. even seungwoo, who was as gentle and respectful as they come, let loose and flirted with seungyoun when prompted.

“maybe he doesn’t have the money?” seungyoun offers. 

“doubt it. seungwoo could pay for both of them ten times over anyway.” the elder smirks at hangyul’s words, no doubt looking forward to how well he’ll be tipped tonight. hangyul, on the other hand, looks less than impressed.

“tell you what,” seungyoun starts, finally setting down his palette, “if you can get him to ask you for a dance, i’ll split my tips from tonight with you.” 

“from the whole weekend,” hangyul immediately counters. 

“fine. but he has to ask for you, you can’t approach him.” seungyoun hums, satisfied with their deal. he stands from the couch, adjusting the fishnet tights adorning his long legs before heading towards the door for his first performance of the night. 

“good luck,” hangyul calls, though he knows it’s nearly time for him to return to the stage as well. 

“you’ll need it more than me,” the elder replies, throwing a wink towards hangyul as he disappears through the doorway. 

hangyul sighs deeply. he doesn’t know why he agreed to this stupid bet when he was already so worn out. _ tips _, he reminds himself. rent is due next week. 

he can feel the espresso kicking in, but seungyoun’s comments about his appearance unfortunately weren’t too far off. even though he knows he’s alone, hangyul glances around the room before reaching into seungyoun’s makeup bag. first, he packs concealer under his eyes to hide his dark circles. he then smudges eyeshadow along his lids in what he hopes is a passable replica of seungyoun’s signature smokey eye. looking in the mirror, hangyul sweeps his hair back before following the other dancer towards the stage. 

it’s still early but the club is more or less full, drinks flying from the bar to tables and bills flying everywhere in return. seungwoo and his friend haven’t moved from their usual table on the right side of the stage. seungyoun is at the front of the platform, as hypnotizing as ever as he rhythmically works himself around the pole there. he’s got the eyes of nearly everyone in the club, save for seungwoo’s friend. the brunette, hangyul releases in a panic, is looking straight at him. he quickly diverts his eyes, taking the place of another dancer on stage as the song blaring through the club’s speakers changes. 

hangyul has a split second to decide what direction he’s going to take this in. playing to his strengths while he’s on stage means _ literally _ using his strength. some dancers like seungyoun prefer to keep two feet on the ground for the better part of their performances, but not hangyul. 

decision made, hangyul steels himself before grabbing the pole in front of him. effortlessly, he lifts himself up into the air. with what can only be described as grace, hangyul spins around the pole, head thrown back and a grin on his face. he knows how good he must look, that’s part of his job. his biceps are on full display, muscles not wavering despite the stress he’s putting on them. hangyul’s thighs are just as exposed, the varsity shorts he’s chosen for tonight barely coming past his ass. as he finally lowers himself to the stage, hangyul spares a glance to the floor. immediately, he’s met with the gaze of the only person he wants to see. seungwoo is still fixated on seungyoun, but his friend is tracking hangyul’s every move with a look of intrigue. 

confidence boosted, hangyul immediately turns on his heel and faces the pole again. instead of pulling himself up with it this time though, hangyul _ drops _ to the floor, his thighs tensing at the last second to leave his ass perfectly poised above the stage. hangyul can feel more gazes drawing towards him now and he smirks, proud that he can hold his own against the club’s biggest money maker, seungyoun. slowly, he pulls himself back up, keeping his ass pressed high in the air as he does. 

in a rhythm now, hangyul remains on stage for three more songs, even taking over seungyoun’s position at the front of the stage. it takes all of his will power not to look at the subject of his bet when he does. for some strange reason, hangyul is shaken with nerves every time he meets the pretty stranger’s eyes, which isn’t like him. in all his years of performing inside the club and out, hangyul’s never been nervous. 

finally, hangyul can feel his throat getting dry so he steps down from the stage for a drink. seungyoun, to his surprise, isn’t with seungwoo but on the other side of the club chatting with the bartender. seeing his opportunity, hangyul makes a beeline for their table. their bet was that hangyul couldn’t approach seungwoo’s friend, but nothing was said about seungwoo himself. 

with a sway in his hips, hangyul approaches seungwoo’s chair. 

“immaculately dressed as always, mr. han,” hangyul smiles, running two fingers up the arm of seungwoo’s perfectly tailored suit jacket. he lets the movement carry him around the back of seungwoo’s chair, where he leans in to whisper, “care to introduce me to your friend?”

seungwoo immediately chuckles. he had guessed hangyul’s reason for approaching their table as soon as he saw the dancer. 

“wooseok?” seungwoo calls, and the stranger lifts his head. up until then, he’d been acting oblivious towards hangyul’s presence. “this is hangyul, seungyoun’s best friend.” 

in response to seungwoo’s introduction, wooseok simply raises his eyebrows and hums in affirmation. pride obviously hurt, hangyul huffs out a breath before collecting himself. normally he wouldn’t bother with such a self-righteous customer, but he’s got _ a lot _of money on the line. and, hangyul admits to himself, he really wouldn’t mind spending an hour alone with someone as pretty as wooseok. 

“pleasure to finally meet you wooseok.” it’s not the smoothest line hangyul has delivered, but wooseok really hasn’t given him much to work with. at this moment seungyoun arrives, saving hangyul from the painful lull in conversation. 

“you called?” he sing songs, shoving hangyul aside as subtly as he can. 

“did i?” seungwoo laughs. he’s obviously delighted by seungyoun’s presence, and hangyul has to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “lead the way then.” seungwoo rises from his chair and starts towards the private rooms, but not before he pats wooseok on the shoulder and tells him to _ ‘have fun for once’ _.

“remember our rules, dear.” seungyoun smiles, running his fingertips across hangyul’s bare chest. he then grabs seungwoo’s hand and leads both of them out of sight. left alone with wooseok, hangyul falters before speaking,

“if you’ll excuse me, wooseok. i see one of my regulars at the bar.” wooseok doesn’t reply, but hangyul sees something akin to disappointment flash across his face. 

hangyul, of course, doesn’t know anyone at the bar, but he goes and flirts it up with the best looking guy there anyway. before he can pull the guy in for a private dance though, the club’s manager motions to hangyul from the other side of the bar.

“you’ve been requested,” dong wook tells hangyul over the thumping bass. 

“by who?” hangyul asks. dong wook points his chin to somewhere over hangyul’s shoulder and the dancer spins on his heel. from the far side of the room, wooseok waves at hangyul with a lazy smirk on his face and hangyul cannot _ believe _ his luck.

“room four is all yours,” dong wook pats him on the back in an effort to push hangyul away from the bar and towards wooseok. hangyul stumbles forward as the nerves wooseok’s gaze had instilled in him earlier return tenfold. 

“i’m glad you came around,” he tells wooseok, who hasn’t moved from his chair, “you can follow me.” wooseok obliges, tailing behind hangyul if only to admire the view. once they’re alone, wooseok takes a seat on the plush bench of the private room, but hangyul lingers by the door.

“you’re very quiet wooseok,” he starts, twirling the drawstring of his shorts with his head cocked to the side, “if you tell me what you like i can make this better for both of us.” wooseok _ scoffs _ before replying. 

“you’ve already won your bet. take a break.” hangyul has to fight to keep his jaw from falling open at wooseok’s words. 

“that was just a joke wooseok, please don’t take it seriously,” he pleads, worried what dong wook would say if wooseok decides to mention this to management. “but, how did you know?”

“seungyoun told seungwoo and he texted me.” that bastard. he could have completely ruined hangyul’s chances. but, by some miracle, he had made hangyul win.

“why did you ask for me then?” hangyul drops his confident persona now, but stays frozen across the small room from wooseok. wooseok shrugs and gazes over hangyul’s shoulder, watching the silhouettes of passersby through the frosted glass of the door. 

“if you’re gonna pay me i have to do_ something _, wooseok.” hangyul admits, finally closing the distance between them. wooseok pretends to think it over, but he’s known what he wants to say since the first time he stepped into the club.

“take me out.”

“sorry?” hangyul shakes his head.

“take me on a date.” this…is not what hangyul expected. he huffs and takes a seat next to wooseok. he had been aloof, borderline rude up until this point. and now he wants to go on a date with hangyul? the dancer takes another moment to collect himself before speaking.

“you barely know me wooseok.” hangyul has had to turn down plenty of advances like this in the past, but the truth was he didn’t really _ want _ to turn down wooseok. he’s never had anything against dating customers and the man before him, all doe eyes and plush lips, is exactly hangyul’s type. but he has to be reasonable.

“then i’ll get to know you on our date.” wooseok fires back, his tone making it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.

“i-“ hangyul is left speechless. yes, he told himself to be reasonable, but the smartest thing to do here may actually be to take wooseok up on his offer. the man is gorgeous and it’s been far too long since hangyul got laid. figuring he has nothing to lose, hangyul takes a deep sigh and finally replies.

“alright. just give me your number and i’ll tell you when i have a night off.” his voice shakes a little, and hangyul is suddenly thankful for the dim lighting of the room so wooseok can’t see the flush that’s spread across his cheeks. hangyul has men throwing their numbers at him almost every night, so he can’t figure out why this one in particular is making his heart race so badly. wooseok simply nods in response to hangyul, before pulling a business card out of his wallet.

“really?” hangyul can’t help but laugh.

“how else are you going to remember it?” wooseok asks, that tone of stating the obvious returning. “unless you’ve got your phone in those shorts, but i don’t think you could fit much else in there.” the blush on hangyul’s cheeks darkens, and he coughs to cover his surprise. wooseok smiles for the first time that night. after hangyul accepts the business card, wooseok stands.

“we still have an hour. don’t you want-“ hangyul looks up, but wooseok cuts him off mid-sentence.

“‘i’ve got everything i need.” he nods with a slight smirk. “thank you hangyul.”

***

“and then he just walked out?” seungyoun asks through a mouthful of fries. it’s almost three in the morning and hangyul and seungyoun are sitting across from one another in a 24/7 mcdonald’s near the club. most of their nights end like this, complaining about that day’s customers over as many burgers as they can inhale before the last train. 

“yeah, but he still tipped really well,” hangyul answers, still processing the interaction himself. seungyoun shakes his head in disbelief. 

“he’s either a sugar daddy or a serial killer.” 

“you really think your boyfriend would be friends with a murderer?”

“you never-“ seungyoun realizes hangyul’s choice of words and rolls his eyes, “he’s not my boyfriend.”

“not with that attitude!” hangyul tried not to pry, he really did, but this is getting ridiculous. “seriously, he’s been coming into the club for months just to see you.” seungyoun wants to laugh, but he feels something clawing at his chest with hangyul’s words.

“just cause he likes my body doesn’t mean-”

“hyung. that man looks at you like you hung the moon. for the love of god, ask him out.” with that, hangyul stands to clear his tray. “come on, the last train is in ten.” 

thankfully, hangyul has the next night off, but he isn’t about to text wooseok so soon. he throws the business card on his coffee table once he’s home, wanting it out of his mind so he can take a quick shower and fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. 

***

the weekend passes at it usually does. hangyul spends his day off from the club choreographing a new routine for the studio he teaches at part-time. when he gets back to his apartment wooseok’s card hasn’t moved from the coffee table. hangyul still can’t figure out why the little piece of paper, and more specifically the name on it, is giving him such anxiety. he squints at it, and quickly curses out loud. had he really not _ looked _ at the card until this moment? apparently not, because written in matte black ink are the words that caused his outburst: 

** _Kim Wooseok_ **

** _ Partner, Han & Kim Law Firm_ **

does wooseok really expect hangyul to call the law office he owns to set up their date? hangyul glances at the card again as another realization dawns on him. if wooseok is kim wooseok, then han could only be...

**hangyul:**

what does seungwoo do for a living?

y**ounie hyung:**

didn’t i tell you?? he’s a lawyer 🤪📚💸

**hangyul:**

did you forget to mention the part about how he runs a firm with wooseok too??

**younie hyung:**

wait for real

**hangyul:**

yeah, look at his business card

Image Attached.

**younie hyung:**

hooooooly shit 😫

let’s be sugar babies together!!

**hangyul:**

let’s start with a date

hangyul shakes his head as he locks his phone. he’ll deal with that information later, probably between nine and five on a business day. 

after that, hangyul’s next day off is thursday. come wednesday, he figures he really can’t put this off any longer. his thumb shakes as he types in the number from wooseok’s business card. 

“han and kim law firm, how can i help you?” a young woman picks up the phone. hangyul wonders if this is isn’t all some elaborate prank, but he tries to steady his voice nonetheless.

“can i speak to kim wooseok please?” 

“may i ask who’s calling?” hangyul just about gives a fake name, but he decides that telling the truth is narrowly better than lying. 

“lee hangyul.” this woman can’t know who he is by his name, hangyul thinks. he’s quickly proven wrong.

“oh, of course,” she hums in recognition. wooseok must have told her he was expecting this call. “hold one moment please.” resisting the urge to simply hang up, hangyul fights through his nerves as _ river flows in you _ plays to him over the phone. 

“kim wooseok.” wooseok’s voice is so different from that night at the club, so much firmer that it makes hangyul’s mind blank.

“lee hangyul.” he blurts out the last thing he said like some broken record. wooseok chuckles from the other end of the line. 

“took you long enough.” hangyul can hear a light noise in the background, maybe a pen tapping against a desk. he envisions wooseok leaning back in a leather office chair, his name plaque in front of him as he smirks at hangyul’s obvious nervousness. 

“i have a life outside the club, thank you.” 

“i wouldn’t doubt it. so when does that life include me?” hangyul now feels very stupid for leaving this until the last minute. it sounds terribly desperate when he tells wooseok,

“tomorrow?” he can only imagine the satisfied grin crossing wooseok’s face at that moment.

“i’ll clear my schedule. oh, and hangyul?”

“yes?” hangyul’s voice comes out much too eager again.

“i’m sorry for making you call my office,” wooseok confesses, his tone as light as hangyul’s ever heard it, “use my cell next time.” wooseok gives him the number before they hang up, with a promise to meet tomorrow. 

***

it’s 5:35. wooseok is coming to pick him up at 6, and hangyul is still stark naked. he considers texting seungyoun for advice, but he knows the idiot will suggest that he go as is. ten minutes pass before he decides to go with the safest option, black and white. he layers a black cardigan over a simple button up. the nicest pants he owns are black jeans, having outgrown his dress pants years ago with no need to wear them. he’s brushing back his hair in the bathroom mirror when he gets a text from wooseok reading _ ‘i’ll be there in ten’. _ hangyul frowns at his reflection; something about his look is still off. 

“fuck it.” he decides, and removes the white shirt from beneath his sweater. the v of the cardigan now exposes a dangerous amount of skin, but hangyul thinks it’s perfect. he grabs his wallet and slips on his shoes before heading downstairs to meet wooseok. 

wooseok pulls up to the front of hangyul’s apartment building at exactly 6. he’s driving a mercedes because _of_ _course_ he is. hangyul takes a sharp inhale before opening the passenger door. 

“i didn’t think seeing you fully clothed would make me more attracted to you,” wooseok calls from the driver side before hangyul can even buckle his seatbelt.

“this old thing?” hangyul replies sarcastically. his cardigan is old, to tell the truth, but the comment makes wooseok smile regardless. “so, where are we going?” 

“how does italian sound?” wooseok doesn’t move his gaze from the road as he speaks, and hangyul finds the sight incredibly attractive. 

“fine, yeah.” hangyul takes out his phone to text seungyoun. he trusts wooseok, but he wants to let his best friend know where they are nonetheless. 

  
  
  


**hangyul:**

🍝🍝🍝

**younie hyung:**

how classy!! love that for you 

what did u wear?

**hangyul:**

just a cardigan...

with nothing underneath

**younie hyung:**

oh my god YES

**hangyul:**

wooseok seems to like it

**younie hyung:**

my baby's growing up!!!

i’m so proud of you

**hangyul:**

did you make me proud and finally ask seungwoo out last night??

**younie hyung:**

enjoy your date stud!! 

talk to u later ❤️❤️❤️

hangyul desperately wants to press seungyoun on the topic he’s avoiding, but they’re pulling into the parking lot of a restaurant with gilded double doors and a foreign name hangyul can’t even begin to pronounce.

he’s about to protest about the obvious expense of the place, but wooseok is already leading him inside by the waist. all wooseok has to do is step inside and they’re being shown to a secluded table. hangyul suddenly feels out of his depth. he thinks he spots the host looking at him knowingly, as if he’s already decided exactly who hangyul is to wooseok. 

“you live like this yet you pick up boys at a strip club?” hangyul doesn’t mean to, but he lets a touch of disdain into his voice as soon as they’re seated.

“guilty pleasures,” wooseok shrugs lightly. he realizes the words are likely in poor taste as soon as they leave his mouth. hangyul casts his eyes downward. 

“i’m sorry,” wooseok confesses immediately, much to hangyul’s surprise. “if you’re uncomfortable we can-“

“no, it’s okay,” hangyul interrupts. he needs to see this past the first ten minutes, at least.

“i’ll let you pick the place next time.”

“next time?” hangyul counters, but a bright smile is spread across his face. obviously relieved, wooseok grins too.

“order whatever you want,” he tells hangyul. the younger isn’t nearly confident enough for that, so he let’s wooseok order first and then tells the waiter he’ll have the same. red wine has never been hangyul’s thing, but he figures he can’t let wooseok have the whole bottle to himself.

“so, how’d you manage to run a law firm at your age?” hangyul asks once they’re left alone again.

“and what age do you think that is?” wooseok responds, tilting his head lightly.

“surprisingly young for a lawyer...twenty five?” hangyul knows wooseok isn’t his age, but the purposefully low guess makes him smile nonetheless. 

“nice try love, twenty eight,” the elder laughs. upon his first impression, wooseok seemed so stuck up, but the conversation between him and hangyul flows easily. through the course of the night, hangyul learns that wooseok and seungwoo met in the army, and kept in touch throughout law school before eventually going into business together. 

comparatively, hangyul’s life story seems lackluster. despite achieving good grades he mostly went to university to appease his parents, having always had his sights set on a career in dance. wooseok listens to hangyul speak with soft, knowing eyes, almost as if he’s heard this story before. hangyul wonders how many boys he’s taken out like this. 

they go out for coffee after dinner, wooseok picking up the cheque on both accounts. some part of hangyul had wished the night wouldn’t end with them separating, but as they pull up to the curb outside hangyul’s apartment just before midnight, he knows that’s out of the question.

“i’d invite you inside but-” he starts, but wooseok interrupts him. 

“don’t worry. i already enjoyed myself.” 

“me too...” hangyul cuts himself off this time, unable to form any more of his thoughts into words.

“you’re working tomorrow aren’t you?” wooseok asks. hangyul simply nods in response. “then get some rest,” the elder tells him gently. hangyul feels like an idiot for thinking that the night could end in any way but this. 

“thank you, wooseok.” he smiles as best as he can and goes to open the passenger door. wooseok catches his wrist before he can. the elder leans in, lips just as soft as hangyul had imagined as they press against his cheekbone. 

“goodnight hangyul.” 

***

hangyul trudges into work thirty minutes late the next evening. thankfully, seungyoun is already onstage so he can’t grill hangyul about the date. hangyul wouldn’t even know what to say anyway. it went well by all means, but hangyul can’t shake the feeling that he and wooseok don’t fit. wooseok is pressed shirts and vintage wine while hangyul is old sweatpants and too many bottles of soju to count and the only time it feels appropriate for their worlds to collide is inside a strip club. 

“i don’t see what the problem is.” seungyoun tells him. they’re at mcdonald’s again, any hope of making the last train long gone this time.

“he’s nice, but i don’t see what we have in common. the whole time we were at dinner i felt out of place.” hangyul only ordered two hamburgers tonight, so seungyoun knows this is seriously upsetting him.

“but you like him, don’t you?” hangyul looks up at seungyoun’s words.

“well yeah,” he admits, not knowing why he hadn’t considered this before now.

“then go out with him again. no one’s asking you to marry him, gyulie.” seungyoun knows he hates that nickname but ignores hangyul’s glare, “just feel it out.” 

hangyul nods. seungyoun does have good ideas every once in a blue moon.

“i will. i don’t know why we’re still talking about this though when you went out with seungwoo last night.” the string of expletives that falls from seungyoun’s mouth at the mention of seungwoo’s name has hangyul swivelling around to make sure there are no children within earshot. there’s only the college-age worker behind the counter, and hangyul silently apologizes to her as she’s subjected to a lengthy description of the hours seungyoun spent in the master bedroom of seungwoo’s penthouse apartment the night before.

***

hangyul and wooseok text regularly over the following days, even calling once or twice to say goodnight. despite his worries, conversation continues to come easily for hangyul. when it’s just the two of them talking, he could see himself falling for wooseok. he does more than just see it when they finally meet for their second date a week later. 

wooseok keeps his promise and lets hangyul pick the venue. 

**hangyul:**

dress casual please!!

like, the last thing you’d wear to court

**wooseok ** **🐱:**

it’d be a lot easier if you tell me 

where we’re going love

**hangyul:**

it needs to be a surprise :(

**wooseok ** **🐱:**

fine, i’ll be there in twenty

“park here.” hangyul directs wooseok once they find an empty spot. he’s brought them to hongdae, and wooseok feels like he’s in college all over again. he looks the part too, having dug out the only pair of jeans he owns from the bottom of his closet for the occasion. hangyul teases him about still wearing a button-up, but that’s only because he doesn’t want to admit what the sight of the light blue cotton stretching over wooseok’s biceps is doing to him. 

hangyul feels much more relaxed this time around, leading wooseok towards an arcade across the street with a smile. wooseok can’t help but laugh. 

they spend an hour or two bathed in the neon light of pinball machines and racing simulators, which wooseok turns out to be quite good at. hangyul regains his pride when he beats wooseok in basketball. the led board behind his hoop reads sixty, just slightly higher than wooseok’s eight. 

after leaving their tickets with a little girl eyeing the hello kitty plush behind the prize counter, hangyul and wooseok walk to dinner. the barbecue restaurant is packed, grills smoking and the melodic sound of shot glasses colliding coming from every table. hangyul cooks the pork belly for them, giving wooseok free reign to admire how his brows furrow and his sharp jaw tenses when he’s focused. 

pretending not to notice wooseok’s eyes on him, hangyul fills the silence with the first thing that comes to his mind.

“i used to come here all the time in uni, i can’t believe nothing’s changed.”

“it wasn’t _ that _ long ago,” wooseok rolls his eyes. the three year gap between them is negligible, but they still tease each other when an opportunity comes up. “so you went to hongik then?” the elder asks, even though he already knows the answer.

“no, konkuk, but all my high school friends went to hongik so we’d meet up around here.” wooseok nods, his heart falling but hangyul’s next words catch him just in time, “you never told me where you did your undergrad.” 

“konkuk, actually.” he couldn’t spell this out any clearer, and wooseok thinks this _ has _ to spark something in hangyul.

“for real? i’m surprised i didn’t recognize you, what a coincidence.” no spark. only the smouldering remains of any hope wooseok had that hangyul would remember. 

thankfully, hangyul’s piling meat onto wooseok’s plate at this time, so he can avoid replying by digging into the perfectly grilled pork belly. wooseok tries to let the food and the soju fill the pit in his stomach, but it stubbornly remains. he takes out his phone to message seungwoo when hangyul excuses himself to the bathroom.

  
  


**wooseok: **

he has no idea

**seungwoo hyung: **

who? hangyul?

**wooseok: **

i looked him in the eyes and told him i went to konkuk 

he didn't say a thing

**seungwoo hyung: **

try not to hold it against him wooseok, it was a long time ago

enjoy what you’ve got now

**wooseok: **

i’ll try

have a good night hyung

**seungwoo hyung: **

youn’s over so i will~~

“ready to go? I just paid.” hangyul’s voice snaps wooseok out of his daze, and he mumbles an agreement. without knowing where they’re going he follows hangyul out of the restaurant, letting the presence of hangyul’s shoulder brushing against his own guide him. around the block wooseok feels hangyul stop and, upon looking up, nearly turns and walks in the opposite direction.

“_ no. _ i don’t sing.” wooseok’s expression is adamant, his sharp features illuminated by the neon sign reading _ ‘coin karaoke’ _above them. 

“come on,” hangyul whines, tugging lightly on wooseok’s forearm, “just a few songs.”

not only does wooseok sing, hangyul soon learns, he sings _ extremely _ well. he feels like he’s floating as wooseok’s voice fills the tiny room they’re sitting in, the lyrics to _ walking in the winter _illuminated on the tv screen. there’s no hesitation in the way wooseok delivers the melody despite his earlier protests. his voice is clear and even yet coloured with just enough of his own personality that hangyul would be able to pick it in the loudest room.

“where did you learn to sing like that?” hangyul asks once the instrumental fades out. wooseok shrugs. he goes to give an honest answer alluding to voice lessons and choir as a child, but what comes out is actually much more candid. 

“i was going to ask you the same thing. the rasp in your voice - that’s my favourite style.”

hangyul rubs the back of his neck, obviously caught off guard by the compliment. 

“i’m more of a dancer, but thank you.”

“show me then.” wooseok’s half joking, but the expression that flashes across hangyul’s face shows the younger clearly didn’t take it lightly. he mumbles something about not having much room, and wooseok immediately counters,

“there’s room at mine.” hangyul freezes, puppy dog eyes widening. 

“seriously?” 

“i never did get my private dance,” wooseok nods, and hangyul can’t argue with that logic, even if wooseok was the one who denied it in the first place. 

they pull into a parking garage thirty minutes later, and all hangyul can hear is the thrumming of his heartbeat in his ears. part of the anxiety comes from the idea of dancing for wooseok, but most of it is due to the fact that he’s about to step foot in wooseok’s apartment. an apartment on the sixteenth floor. in gangnam. 

the elevator ride is silent, save for the soft sounds of hangyul adjusting his denim jacket and wooseok fidgeting with his car keys. he leads them to apartment 1612 once the door opens, and allows hangyul to go in first.

the lights come on automatically, only dimly illuminating the room so the view of seoul’s skyline through the windows lining the back wall is unobstructed. hangyul exhales in awe, though he really didn’t expect any less. 

“here,” wooseok says softly, setting down an extra pair of slippers for hangyul. he pads to the kitchen in his own, and takes a pitcher of water from the fridge. the sight is so simple yet intimate that hangyul forgets what he came here for momentarily. 

“what do you think?” wooseok asks, returning to where hangyul’s standing in the living room, two glasses of wine in tow.

“well, my view’s a brick wall, so you’ve got that on me.” wooseok laughs but doesn’t reply, hangyul’s allusions to his money troubles ringing loud and clear in his head. instead, he takes a seat on the white leather couch, letting hangyul follow at his own pace. the younger, however, remains standing. 

“can i have your phone?” he asks, extending his hand towards wooseok.

“what for?” the elder replies, but he’s already digging it out of his pocket. 

“you’ve got speakers in here right? i need music if i’m gonna dance.” hangyul fiddles with the bluetooth settings before pretending to look for the song he wants, though he has a trusted favourite in mind. to hangyul’s surprise, wooseok already has the album saved to his library, but he doesn’t press play just yet. in one swift motion, hangyul pulls off his jacket and drapes it over the couch. his navy blue sweater quickly follows, leaving his upper half bare. 

wooseok’s gaze is following his every moment with a gentle, or what he hopes appears gentle, curiosity. without the adrenaline of going on stage, it takes hangyul a moment to muster up the confidence that usually comes naturally to him when performing. this whole thing feels a little ridiculous, but he’s able to shove down those doubts with the knowledge that wooseok is white knuckling his wine glass in anticipation despite the calm expression on his face. 

“i’ll start,” hangyul announces, voice low. synths fill the room and wooseok recognizes the song instantly. 

_ if it’s easy, it’s no fun. i know that, that’s why i want you more. i can’t hide it. _

hangyul takes a second to ease his movements into the tempo of the song. soon enough, his hips are swaying in time with the beat as he makes his way over to wooseok. 

_ we’re a bit dangerous, you and me. i’m just attracted to you for no reason. _

he drags his fingertips along the ridges of his abs and up to his chest as he rolls his hips, never breaking eye contact with wooseok. 

_ if i take one step closer, you take two steps back _

bending over slightly, hangyul removes the glass from wooseok’s hands and places it on the coffee table behind them. he’s secretly offended at the idea of wooseok still being able to focus on anything besides him. 

_ don’t be nervous. it just provokes me, the rough breathing. _

wooseok inhales shakily as hangyul places his knees on either side of wooseok’s lap, hovering over him. he’d be impressed at the amount of control hangyul is exhibiting if he didn’t remind himself that hangyul does this kind of thing on a nightly basis. it’s hard to keep wooseok from feeling special though. hangyul’s in his apartment after all and his well defined form and golden skin are, in this moment, for wooseok’s eyes only. 

hangyul lets his fingertips ghost along wooseok’s jawline as he takes in the other’s glassy eyed flush. 

“what’s that look for?” he whispers, barely audible above the music.

“i want to touch you.” wooseok admits.

“be patient.” these rules don’t apply to hangyul, however. stilling his hips for a moment, hangyul undoes one, two, three buttons of wooseok’s shirt. he runs his palm along the skin that’s subsequently bared before lifting himself from wooseok’s lap. hangyul lets himself dance, not drawing so close to wooseok again until the final chorus. this time, he lowers himself down with his back to wooseok’s chest, until his ass brushes the tops of wooseok’s thighs. hangyul pushes back, and feels exactly what he was hoping to. there’s a slight bulge in wooseok’s jeans, and hangyul makes no effort to hide the self satisfied expression that crosses his face in that moment. wooseok, on the other hand, is biting his lip in an effort to stay silent as hangyul brushes against his cock. the act of restraining himself from touching hangyul is already enough of a challenge when he’s perfectly sober and not half hard; this is borderline _ torture. _

“hangyul-ah,” wooseok calls softly, not entirely sure what he’s even asking for. hangyul ignores wooseok’s plea, instead turning himself around to face the elder again. he slides his hand around the back of wooseok’s neck, and just as the last beat of the song fades out he whispers, 

“you can touch now.” and wooseok doesn’t need to be told twice. he grabs as much of hangyul’s hips as he can in his delicate grip, willing the younger to grind down on him again. hangyul obliges, unable to deny the erection straining his own pants by this point. even in the dim light, wooseok is reminded hangyul’s _ big _, and he lets out a shaky whimper at the sight. 

the sound goes straight to hangyul’s ego, and his dick. 

“something you want?” he asks as he dips down to mouth at wooseok’s neck.

“you, god damnit.” wooseok throws his head back to give hangyul more access. 

“since you asked so nicely.” hangyul chuckles. “should we take this somewhere more comfortable?”

“second door on the left,” wooseok’s panting, arms now around hangyul’s neck. with some maneuvering, hangyul manages to slide sideways off wooseok’s lap and pull the elder into his own. he lifts them both from the couch without any semblance of difficulty, carrying wooseok with two hands on his slim thighs. wooseok can feel hangyul’s arms tensing against him, and he thinks he’s about to lose his mind to the pure lust overtaking his body.

hangyul pushes into wooseok’s bedroom with his shoulder, only briefly pausing to appreciate how pristine it is. the floor is free from dirty laundry and the pillows on the bed are perfectly arranged until hangyul tosses wooseok onto the comforter. he’s quick to climb over wooseok, arms caging in his small frame, but the elder’s not having it. 

“my bed, my rules hangyul-ah,” he chides the younger. the words punch hangyul’s breath out of his chest. he’d be lying if he said wooseok’s domineering attitude didn’t turn him on, and he’d been waiting to see if his disposition was the same inside the bedroom as it was outside. 

“which are?”

“if you wanna fuck me i get to ride you.”

“yes, please, god.” wooseok stifles a laugh at hangyul’s eagerness. the younger backs off a little, so wooseok can rummage around in his bedside table. he pulls out the small bottle of lube he keeps for himself, blushing at the fact that it’s half empty despite buying it only a week ago. but hangyul doesn’t need to know that. 

“sit against the pillows for me,” wooseok intstructs hangyul, ready to put on a show of his own. hangyul does as he’s told without hesitation which makes wooseok smirk. “look at you, where’s all that confidence from before?” the elder teases. he removes everything from his bottom half before sitting on his knees across from hangyul.

hangyul opens his mouth but fails to form a response, a blush splaying across his cheeks at wooseok’s words as well as the sight of his cock. it’s small and pretty just like wooseok, and hangyul desperately wants it in his mouth. he squirms in place for a moment, but eventually follows wooseok’s direction. 

in front of hangyul, wooseok is lubing up two of his slender fingers without taking his eyes off of the younger man. the erection in hangyul’s pants quickly goes from uncomfortable to downright painful as he watches wooseok reach behind himself. wooseok lets out a breathy moan, eyes squeezing shut as he presses his first finger into his ass. 

“holy shit,” hangyul exhales in awe. he eyes the flush spread across wooseok’s chest below the collar of his shirt, a shade dangerously similar to that of the head of his cock. 

hangyul can’t see when wooseok slips a second finger inside, but he knows. the elder keels forward slightly, breath hitching loudly. 

“hyung,” hangyul grits out, sitting on his hands to restrain himself at this point, “let me see.” wooseok pretends to think it over for a moment, if only to revel in the whine of impatience that hangyul lets out. after what feels like an eternity for the younger, wooseok turns so his ass is pointed towards hangyul. the resulting sight nearly has hangyul coming in his pants. there’s an excess of lube glistening around wooseok’s entrance, made puffy and pink by the quick pace at which he’s pumping two fingers into himself.

“what do you think gyul-ah?” wooseok’s voice sounds all too composed for his disheveled state. “can i take your cock now?” 

“i-i’m-” hangyul stammers. he knows wooseok should probably use three fingers to prep himself, but the aching need to put his dick in something really couldn’t care less.

“you’re right. i like the stretch.” wooseok says definitively, pulling his wrist from behind him and sitting up. taking this as his queue, hangyul finally frees his hands and starts undoing his belt buckle. clearly having his own plan, wooseok tuts and replaces hangyul’s fingers with his own. he pulls hangyul’s jeans and boxers away without missing the way the younger’s cheeks heat up as wooseok presses his lips along his thighs.

slowly, wooseok moves back up until his mouth hovers over hangyul’s cock, flushed red and leaking against his toned stomach. wooseok has to catch himself before he drools over it. instead he presses a gentle kiss to the base of hangyul’s length, nuzzling his face against it so a little pre-come smears along his cheekbone. hangyul is so turned on he can barely breathe, but he lets wooseok continue if only to see how lewd the elder can get.

wooseok leaves open mouthed kisses along hangyul’s cock, disregarding the saliva dripping from his bottom lip onto his length. it makes the slide easier when he finally wraps his mouth around hangyul, only halfway for now. wooseok’s mouth is small, he knows, and he doesn’t like to push himself unless he’s really looking to get wrecked. 

“you’re gonna feel so good inside me baby,” wooseok practically slurs as he pulls back from hangyul’s cock. the younger moans, half at the pet name and half at the cool air hitting his cock in wooseok’s absence. 

“you want a condom?” the elder asks, already positioning himself across hangyul’s lap. 

“m’clean,” hangyul replies, drawing his thoughts away from the feeling of his cock pressed against wooseok’s ass long enough to string together a coherent reply, “got tested last month.”

“good baby. me too, though it’s been a little longer.” and it has been painfully long since wooseok had anyone as pretty as hangyul in his bed, or anyone at all. his last serious relationship ended well over a year ago, and he had no interest in fooling around after that, not with the firm taking up so much of his time. 

satisfied with hangyul’s consent, wooseok grinds in his lap once more before finally deciding to give the poor boy some relief. he takes the base of hangyul’s cock in one hand and lets just the tip stretch his lube-slick hole. hangyul desperately wants to buck his hips up and into wooseok but he refrains for fear of hurting him, and lets wooseok continue to sink down inch by inch. 

by the time wooseok is fully seated on hangyul’s length both of them are breathless. the stretch of hangyul’s cock inside wooseok puts even his thickest toys to shame, and he wants to _ cry _ with how full he is. 

hangyul, on the other hand, wonders if wooseok stretched himself at all with how tightly he’s clamped around hangyul’s length. 

“feels good baby?” wooseok asks, tilting his head innocently as if he isn’t bouncing himself on hangyul’s cock right now. hangyul can only nod, fingers gripping onto wooseok’s slim waist hard enough to bruise the pale skin there. wooseok is far too talented with his hips for someone working an office job, and hangyul can already feel the familiar tension building in his stomach. 

teeth clenched, hangyul experimentally bucks his hips up to meet wooseok’s movements. the elder moans in spite of himself, tightening around hangyul as he drawls,

“gonna fuck me hangyul-ah? come on, show me what you can do.” no one’s ever talked to hangyul like that. it sets something alight inside him, every syllable that spills from wooseok’s lips only serving to fuel the flame. 

he fucks up into wooseok with even more force, not letting go of his grip on wooseok’s waist. hangyul’s arms are quickly shaking with the stress, but the little mewls he punches out of wooseok with every thrust are more than enough to encourage him to continue. 

“don’t stop baby,” wooseok pleas, head thrown back in pure bliss. 

“fuck, you look so good like this,” hangyul breathes in awe. 

the compliment is what breaks wooseok. he comes with a shudder, completely untouched and still asking hangyul for _ more _. the way wooseok’s hole flutters around hangyul’s cock as he comes is enough to send the younger over the edge as well. hangyul pumps his hips into wooseok a few more times before he’s spent, coming inside of wooseok’s ass.

the younger falls back against the pillows and wooseok follows, if only to press his lips to hangyul’s again. wooseok whines into the kiss as he reluctantly pulls off of hangyul.

after they clean up, hangyul lingers in the bathroom long enough to have wooseok whining from the bed,

“come here, m’cold.” the younger smiles, thankful for the invitation otherwise he may not have had the confidence to get back into bed with wooseok despite the intention being much more innocent this time around.

hangyul fills the empty space next to wooseok easily. his broad frame naturally wraps around wooseok’s smaller one as he pulls the elder into him. 

as wooseok closes his eyes, he can feel the gentle rise and fall of hangyul’s chest beneath his cheek. the soothing rhythm, along with the security of the younger’s arm around his shoulders lulls wooseok to sleep. his last conscious thought is that maybe, this time, hangyul will be there when he wakes. 

***

the bed next to wooseok is empty by the time he blinks his eyes against the late morning sun, but the crashing sound coming from the kitchen tells him hangyul hasn’t gone too far. 

wooseok quickly throws on a sweater and goes out to investigate the source of the noise. a shirtless hangyul is standing in front of the fridge, horror written across his face at the carton of milk that is now soaking the better part of the kitchen floor. 

“i’m _ so _ sorry. i just wanted to make you coffee and-” the younger rambles and wooseok, still half asleep, can barely make sense of his words. but, lo and behold, the two steaming mugs of coffee on the counter help wooseok to piece things together. 

“it’s okay hangyul-ah,” wooseok tells him softly, voice still raspy from sleep, “i take mine black anyway.” hangyul cracks a smile at this, but there’s still a mess to be taken care of. they mop up the spill together, and despite the fact that their coffee is room temperature by the time they finish no one complains. 

seated at opposite ends of the couch, they spend the better part of the afternoon talking about anything that distracts wooseok from the ache in his chest at the domesticity of it all. wooseok groans about the last case he took on and how difficult his clients can be, but that’s the price he pays for being a divorce lawyer. he just doesn’t have the resolve for criminal law, unlike seungwoo. hangyul laughs as he describes the rambunctious kids he teaches at his studio, his voice softening when he admits to the real talent and promise they have as dancers. he goes to grab his phone so he can show wooseok their latest performance and gasps at the display reading _ 2:41. _

  
  


“i didn’t realize it was so late wooseok-ah, i should go, i have the early shift tonight.” hangyul sighs. 

“let me give you a ride, at least,” wooseok offers as he takes their long empty mugs to the sink. _ ‘at least’ _ doesn’t sound like the right expression from someone who let hangyul sleep in their bed and waste their full carton of organic milk, but the younger accepts anyway. 

wooseok shuffles into his room to put on proper clothing and, finally faced with his own reflection, gasps in shock. the sweater he’d picked up in his early morning daze is not his own, but _ hangyul’s _, and wooseok feels like an idiot for not realizing this sooner given how far the sleeves come down past his fingertips. 

“uh, hangyul?” he calls into the living room. 

“if it’s about the sweater, keep it,” hangyul replies, grinning up at him from the couch, “looks cute.” 

and that’s how they end up in the car, wooseok’s ears still burning red and hangyul somehow making a denim jacket with nothing underneath look like high fashion. 

wooseok kisses hangyul goodbye outside his apartment again, and though he’d never admit it, hangyul’s already thinking of his next day off as he shuts the passenger door. 

***

hangyul keeps the news of him and wooseok from everyone at the club, except seungyoun of course. he insists the two are casual, despite seungyoun’s constant jeers, and they are. hangyul just happens to find himself at wooseok’s apartment on most of his days off. ‘_ because it’s closer to the studio’, _he tells himself. 

the one day hangyul lets wooseok drop him off at the club, dong wook catches on immediately. he goes into the dressing room with no serious intentions. hangyul’s a good kid and he just wants to make sure whoever’s driving that black mercedes has his best intentions in mind. however, he catches hangyul in the middle of packing concealer over a particularly dark hickey, and promptly gives him hell for the mark in front of byungchan. things like that don’t exactly lend themselves to the experience they’re selling their customers. byungchan’s still giggling by the time dong wook returns to the bar.

“did wooseok forget what you do for a living?” he asks from beside hangyul.

“how did you know it was wooseok?” hangyul panics, at byungchan’s words as well as the fact that the bruise on his collarbone is _ still _visible. 

“seungyoun hyung can’t keep secrets. you’ve been friends with him longer than me hangyul-ah, you should know,” byungchan smiles, wordlessly shooing hangyul’s hand away from the hickey to use his own foundation on it. 

hangyul swears under his breath. he does know how terrible seungyoun is at keeping his mouth shut; it’s what tipped wooseok off to their bet after all. but that one worked out in his favour, so he decides to let this time slide.

“there,” byungchan pulls back, satisfied with how faded hangyul’s hickey now looks. 

“thanks hyung.” hangyul smiles softly as he stands to leave, but byungchan’s words stop him.

“you must really like him,” the elder calls, lips pursed to accent the cherry red tint he just applied. hangyul’s expression must read confusion, because byungchan continues, “the last time we went out for drinks? we did turn ons and turn offs.”

hangyul remembers the night but any details of their conversations are washed away by vodka coolers and _ somaek _. 

“you said you _ hated _ getting hickeys.” despite his poor memory, hangyul knows byungchan is telling the truth. up until a couple weeks ago hangyul did hate anyone’s mouth bruising his skin. he had no need for such physical reminders of hookups and hollow promises, which for the past few years, was all he’d had. 

so maybe wooseok is different. he certainly isn’t a hookup, but hangyul can’t find it in him to make any promises yet, hollow or otherwise. for now, he’ll find all the assurance he needs in the image of wooseok’s rosebud lips trailing bruising kisses like petals across his chest for hours the night before. 

***

it’s a sunday morning and the soft sound of wooseok’s voice wakes hangyul from one of the deepest sleeps he’s had in ages. he owes it to fact that wooseok has a plush top mattress fitted with silk sheets, as well as that they went for a round three last night. 

“hangyul’s still sleeping, let’s do eleven,” wooseok must be talking on the phone, hangyul realizes. curiosity piqued at the mention of his name, hangyul sits up. 

“okay, see you then hyung.” hanging up, wooseok goes to wake hangyul and nearly crashes into the younger already waiting for him in the door frame. 

“was that seungwoo?” hangyul smiles at wooseok’s blush from bumping into his bare chest. 

“uh yeah. he invited us to brunch with him and seungyoun.” wooseok straightens himself, willing his cheeks to cool down. he’s shameless during sex, so it’s still a mystery to wooseok why little things like this fluster him so damn much. 

hangyul’s nose scrunches at the mention of brunch. it always seemed like a glorified and overpriced excuse to get drunk before noon to him. at least he can make fun of wannabe socialites paying twelve dollars for orange juice with seungyoun by his side. 

seungyoun, as it turns out, is in his glory. wooseok and hangyul are already seated by the time he floats in on seungwoo’s arm, clad in an expensive looking leather jacket that hangyul’s never seen before. 

“good morning,” he sing songs, taking a seat in the chair seungwoo pulls out for him. hangyul folds his arms across his chest unconsciously as he greets the pair in return. 

the restaurant is much more casual than where wooseok took hangyul on their first date, but there’s enough louis vuitton bags and iphone elevens on tables to have the younger on edge. 

the dynamic between the four of them works quite well surprisingly, and almost helps hangyul to forget his discomfort. _ almost. _ amidst their usual banter, seungyoun lets something slip that destroys any sense of security hangyul had built up.

“oh, what are you wearing on thursday hangyul-ah?” he asks through a mouthful of eggs.

“thursday?” hangyul replies, obviously confused. suddenly, he can feel wooseok shifting in the seat next to him.

“yeah, to the gala.” seungyoun clarifies. 

seungwoo seems to realize the mistake seungyoun made before he does, and steps in to diffuse like he always does as the eldest.

“it’s a bore, hangyul. a bunch of lawyers trying to act like they care about charity, i just invited seungyoun to keep me entertained.” 

“how thoughtful,” seungyoun rolls his eyes sarcastically. hangyul changes the subject.

later, while seungwoo and wooseok argue over the bill, hangyul pulls seungyoun aside. 

“watch it, this is saint laurent,” the elder whines, brushing hangyul’s grip from his forearm.

“you’re taking the sugar baby thing seriously then?” hangyul means it as a joke, or at least he thinks he does, but the words come out a little biting. 

“_ no _. that’s just how seungwoo is. i mentioned needing a new jacket and he bought me one,” seungyoun replies, sounding genuinely hurt.

“and the gala?” 

“i’m sorry gyullie, i don’t know why wooseok hasn’t invited you. but _ i’m _going to support my boyfriend, not to be some arm candy no matter what you’re thinking.” hangyul’s eyes widen at the word boyfriend. it’s been more than two months since he started seeing wooseok, but they hadn’t used any such titles.

“i know that hyung, it’s just-”

“just what? your own insecurity?” seungyoun interjects. “i think you should stop projecting hangyul-ah. i’m not the one you need to be talking to.” and that, that is not what hangyul expected to hear. he stands there dumbfounded, breath quickening in anger and maybe even embarrassment. 

“ready to go?” seungwoo interrupts, sliding his arm around seungyoun’s waist. seungyoun agrees and leaves without another word to hangyul.

it’s obvious to wooseok that the two fought, but he waits until he and hangyul are in the car to bring it up.

“are you and seungyoun okay? it seems like he said something that upset you.”

seungyoun? yeah seungyoun pissed him off, but the topic never would have come up if not for wooseok. 

“are you ashamed of me?” wooseok nearly runs a red light, slamming on the breaks at the last second. 

“no, of course not. why would you say that hangyul?” he turns to look at hangyul in the passenger seat.

“you didn’t invite me.” 

“i was going to,” wooseok’s voice comes out choked, “but i thought you wouldn’t like it.” 

hangyul realizes he’s backed himself into a corner. he hasn’t exactly been subtle about his disenchantment with the kinds of social circles wooseok runs in, but the other saying it so plainly makes hangyul wish he had. 

“wooseok, if you want me there i’ll go.” the elder stays quiet for a few blocks. the offer shouldn’t be anything monumentous, but it feels that way to hangyul. it feels like the division between casual hookups and acknowledging that, for weeks now, what hangyul and wooseok have had is so much more than that.

“on one condition.” 

“yeah?” hangyul’s voice is no more steady than wooseok’s, and he hates the way his heart is racing in his chest.

“i get to introduce you as my boyfriend.” oh.

“you mean like when you’re greeting people? yeah, sure.” wooseok groans. he’s really thankful he’s driving right now otherwise he might have to punch hangyul for being such an idiot.

“all the time, hangyul.” _ oh _. 

“for real?” the younger asks, eyes wide. wooseok’s thankful for seoul’s crawling traffic for once as he can take a second to admire the awed grin on hangyul’s face. 

“you think i put up with you snoring in my ear every night just because you’re a good fuck?” wooseok’s words dissolve any tension remaining in the air and hangyul barks out a laugh. 

“no, i wouldn’t think that of anyone.”

“is that a yes then?”

“it’s a yes.” 

wooseok’s only been in hangyul’s apartment a handful of times, but he wasn’t about to turn down the younger’s invitation to spend the rest of the day together there. the pair usually choose to spend the night at wooseok’s, mostly due to the fact that hangyul’s bed is barely big enough for him to sleep alone. 

that doesn’t stop wooseok from being thoroughly endeared by the space though, every inch proudly declaring itself hangyul’s in some way or another. a souvenir mug reading _ bangkok _ sits in the kitchen sink. hangyul’s graduation trip, wooseok recalls. taekwondo trophies and family photos adorn his shelves overlooking the studio filled with mismatched furniture, but the space looks so loved and lived in that wooseok feels at home every time he steps inside. 

hangyul falls onto his bed with a groan, relieved he has the rest of the day off. 

“hyung?” he calls to wooseok, who’s still lingering in the entryway. the elder hums in response as his footsteps draw nearer to the bed. 

“i wanna eat you out.” hangyul adds, as casual as if he’s talking about the weather. _ well that’s new _, wooseok thinks. luckily, hangyul’s made this easy for him. the younger is lying on his back, knees hooked over the edge of the bed. without another thought, wooseok straddles hangyul’s chest with a light smirk, hoping that that’s enough to convey how he feels about hangyul’s proposition. 

hangyul swears he blacks out for a second once he realizes what wooseok is suggesting. 

“off,” he mumbles as he tugs at wooseok’s belt buckle, making the elder smirk at his eagerness. 

wooseok shifts off the bed for a moment, removing his jeans before returning to his place on top of a now shirtless hangyul. this time he turns so his back is towards the younger, thighs a little higher on either side of him. and yeah, hangyul definitely blacks out a little at the sight of wooseok’s hole angled towards him, still loose and puffy from the night before. he desperately wants to lean in and taste wooseok, but the elder is keeping his hips angled high with the explicit purpose of driving hangyul insane. 

“hyung,” he calls out, voice already hoarse. instead of responding, wooseok has the audacity to bring his pointer finger to draw feather-light circles around his rim. 

“jesus christ,” hangyul groans, but he remains still. there’s only been a handful of times where hangyul as acted without wooseok’s go ahead. more often than not, these times end in wooseok slipping a cock ring on hangyul and riding the younger until his thighs give out. 

so hangyul is good, or he tries his best to be. he listens to wooseok, always eager to hear the praise that spills from the elder’s lips when hangyul fucks him just right. the sweet words delivered with wooseok’s cloying tone never fail to fill hangyul with a burning satisfaction, knowing how much pleasure wooseok is in because of him. every syllable makes hangyul drive his hips harder or work his mouth faster.

“you were the one who wanted this so bad, baby,” wooseok taunts, “so you better make me feel good.” 

hangyul nods, fists clenched in the sheets. this seems to satisfy wooseok, as he finally lowers his hips to hover over hangyul’s mouth. never of them are prepared for the moan that wooseok lets out at the feeling of hangyul’s tongue prodding at his hole. it’s hot and slick in the best way and this is one part of sex that wooseok _ really _ missed while single. obviously nervous, hangyul moves slowly. he alternates between open mouthed kisses and flicking his tongue gently around wooseok’s rim. the pace isn’t enough for wooseok, but he’s also not sure if he can handle much more, a familiar heat already rising in his stomach. with every intention to prolong _ sitting on hangyul’s face _ as much as possible, wooseok decides to occupy himself.

the slight shift in position and the sudden feeling of warm air against hangyul’s cock is all that tips him off to wooseok’s intention. he can’t help but moan at the idea of wooseok’s mouth around him. 

“don’t let me distract you,” wooseok warns, “you’re doing well. keep going baby.” hangyul, of course, wouldn’t stop for anything, but it does get a little harder to focus once wooseok start mouthing at the tip of his cock. shameless as always, wooseok makes no attempt to stop the saliva that’s falling from his plush lips onto hangyul’s abs. 

he braces himself on the younger’s thighs once he takes hangyul into his mouth fully. in turn, hangyul pushes his tongue as deep into wooseok as he can. they continue this push and pull, a euphoric give and take that has them both breathless with pleasure. 

“wooseok-ah” hangyul suddenly pulls back from his ministrations. sitting up, wooseok is about to chide him for the lack of formality, but the words catch in his throat at the sight of hangyul. the younger is a _ mess _ beneath wooseok. his hair is mussed and his cheeks are bright pink, chin slick with spit from eating wooseok out so unabashedly. 

“what is it pup?” wooseok hums, gently tugging at hangyul’s cock to replace his mouth. he can feel the way hangyul shudders beneath him at the pet name. 

“m’gonna come,” the younger answers, panting. wooseok’s mouth, always perfectly warm and tight, combined with their lewd positioning had hangyul quickly overwhelmed. 

“did you already forget what i said?” wooseok’s voice is filled with mock disappointment, but it makes hangyul’s stomach drop nonetheless. “finish what you started and i’ll think about letting you come.”

immediately, hangyul’s back to fucking his tongue in and out of wooseok. with the hand that isn’t spreading wooseok open, he grasps the elder’s cock. hangyul tries to match the pace of his tongue to his hand but he’s too lost in trying to give wooseok as much as can. 

wooseok whines as the entire length of his cock is easily covered by hangyul’s large hand. despite their size difference, hangyul is the one under wooseok begging for praise and the fact never fails to turn him on that much more. 

“so good for me hangyul-ah,” the elder breathes as he starts rocking back and forth. hangyul barely has to move now, effectively letting wooseok ride his face and fuck up into his fist. 

he feels wooseok shake and curse under his breath as he comes across hangyul’s chest. hangyul’s nearly forgotten about his erection until wooseok, still riding out his own orgasm, collects some of the cum on hangyul’s chest and uses it to slick the movement of his hand on the younger’s cock. the sensation pushes hangyul over the edge all too fast, adding to the mess on his torso as he finally gets to come. 

wooseok falls on his back beside hangyul, trying his best to keep the sheets clean. they stay like that, both catching their breath until hangyul speaks up.

“that was good?” he asks with wide eyes. wooseok can’t help but laugh at how concerned he looks.

“yeah, hangyul-ah. really good.” he leans forward, pressing his lips against the younger’s. hangyul smiles, an expression of relief and contentment taking over his features. 

***

“how do you look so comfortable? i feel like i’m being suffocated,” hangyul complains, loosening the tie around his neck. 

“sit still,” seungyoun chides from above him as he blends foundation along hangyul’s cheekbone. 

the pair had made up two days after the brunch fiasco, when hangyul regrettably admitted he had no idea how to tie a tie and needed seungyoun’s help to prepare to accompany his _ boyfriend _ to the gala. seungyoun forgot about any grudge he was holding towards hangyul and apologized for his harsh words as well. he was just relieved to know his friend finally stepped up and asked wooseok out. hangyul may have left out the fact that it was the other way around.

in his best impression of an over-excited teenage girl, seungyoun insisted hangyul come over an hour or two early so he could do his makeup as well.

“and stop complaining. your ass looks amazing in those pants.” seungyoun tells the younger, effectively shutting hangyul up because he’s not about to deny that. 

wooseok had left work early the day before to take hangyul shopping for the suit he’s currently wearing. as much as hangyul had wanted to deny the offer, he really had no choice. his own selection of formal wear was not only limited, but obsolete. 

the silky shirts and well tailored jackets felt so foreign to hangyul as he stood in front of wooseok and the store attendant. he shifted nervously under their gazes, feeling vulnerable despite being fully clothed in the most expensive fabric he’d ever touched. hangyul was about to tell wooseok the classic black suit was fine just to put him out of his misery when he felt a gentle touch on his lower back.

“what do you think hangyul-ah?,” wooseok spoke, low enough for only the two of them to hear, “i like the navy, but it’s up to you.” and something in his gaze reassured hangyul. it reassured him that wooseok wasn’t just doing this to dress up hangyul and cart him along to some superficial event overflowing with champagne. he wanted hangyul to feel confident enough to know he was wooseok’s equal, his partner, in a setting so foreign to him. 

“navy’s good,” hangyul agreed. blue had always been his colour.

hangyul snaps out of his reminiscing at the sound of seungyoun announcing that their dates will be arriving in a few minutes.

“you clean up well,” wooseok tells hangyul as he slides into the backseat next to him. seungyoun called shotgun, not about to let seungwoo drive with his hand on anyone else’s thigh. 

“you’re welcome,” seungyoun interjects, gloating over his handiwork which only makes wooseok laugh as he takes hangyul’s hand in his own. if the night carries on like this, hangyul will be alright. 

the venue isn’t far from seungyoun’s apartment, a spacious restaurant overlooking the south side of the han river. it’s been rented out by seungwoo and wooseok’s alma mater for the evening. lawyers from across seoul have been invited to flaunt their success in the form of _ generous _ donations to the school and its various fundraising activities. 

seungwoo and wooseok are undoubtedly some of the youngest attendees, but hangyul can tell they’re well respected. everyone’s eager to greet them, and wooseok’s smile never wavers through all the handshakes and introductions. when one of their old professors finally excuses himself, wooseok practically drags hangyul to the open bar. he grabs one champagne flute for himself, passing a second to hangyul.

“if i have to make small talk sober for another minute...” he groans, looking relieved to finally get some alcohol in his system. “i’m sorry i dragged you along to this hangyul-ah.” 

“it’s alright,” hangyul assures with a soft smirk, “it’s worth it to see you in a tux.” flattery’s always worked on wooseok.

“keep that up and you might get to see me out of it.” that promise (and the free booze) is enough to carry hangyul through the night. he loses track of time, but somewhere in between the appetizer course and seungwoo and seungyoun disappearing to the bathroom for far too long, hangyul gets _ very _ drunk. 

wooseok is off talking to an old classmate, leaving hangyul alone with his creme brulee and the happy couple.

since seungyoun and seungwoo are hard pressed to go five minutes talking about anything that _ isn’t _ sex, they’re naturally on the topic of their first times. 

“my poor girlfriend,” seungwoo sighs, lamenting the fact that he hadn’t realized his own sexuality until university. seungyoun looks at him with a pout, despite never having any such worries. 

“at least you weren’t literally in a closet like hangyul,” the younger offers.

something flashes across seungwoo’s face, but the other two miss it. 

“_ hey _,” hangyul looks up, offense written across his brow. seungyoun raises his hands in a show of innocence.

“just saying. it’s not like you were in love with the guy.”

“god no. i could never be with someone like that,” hangyul scrunches his nose and downs the rest of his glass, “some stuck up rich kid. i can’t even remember his name.” 

“wooseok_ . _ ” seungwoo breathes, looking over hangyul’s shoulder. through his clouded perception, all hangyul can think to do is laugh because _ that’s not right _. a sudden clatter from behind their table makes hangyul turn in his seat.

wooseok is standing there, spilled wine pooling at his feet. hangyul thinks it’s a mistake, the look of betrayal on wooseok’s face not registering in his drunken mind. 

“are you okay?” the words come from hangyul and seungwoo at the same time, for entirely different reasons. 

wooseok feels his cheeks turn red with embarrassment and the effort he has to put into biting back tears. the effort quickly becomes not enough, and wooseok is running out of the room before hangyul can see him cry. 

“wooseok!” hangyul calls after him, drawing the attention of several tables around them. seungyoun has to catch hangyul as he stands to go after wooseok, but quickly loses balance. 

“hold on hangyul-ah,” he tells the younger, not letting go of hangyul’s arm despite his protests. “hyung, do you know what that was about?” 

seungwoo bites his lip at seungyoun’s question.

“i- it’s not my place to say. you should go talk to him hangyul.” seungyoun shoots his boyfriend a look of confusion before focusing his attention back on hangyul. he gets the younger seated again, promptly moving any liquids that aren’t water out of his reach. 

“you need to sober up a bit first. talking to wooseok like this will only make things worse.” 

hangyul doesn’t know how it could be worse because he doesn’t even know what’s wrong in the first place.

“what did i _ do?” _he whines, words slurring together. seungyoun simply pets his back, while seungwoo excuses himself to check on wooseok. 

forty minutes pass, and hangyul no longer feels like the world around him is spinning. he leans his head against the cool metal of the elevator doors as he descends to the lobby of the building.

upon the sight of hangyul, seungwoo rises from his seat. he gives the younger a nod and that soft, knowing smile before leaving him and wooseok alone. 

“please talk to me.” hangyul whispers when wooseok won’t meet his eyes.

“you really don’t remember, do you?” wooseok’s voice quivers when he speaks.

“remember _ what _?” 

“that was me hangyul.” the younger is clearly still confused, so wooseok inhales and continues speaking, 

“intro to economics. i already felt like an idiot in the class, the only fourth year in a room full of freshmen cause i’d missed a credit. you sat in the middle of the third row even though you were late almost every day.”

hangyul opens his mouth to respond, but wooseok doesn’t give him the chance.

“you laughed so loud with your friends but you answered the professor’s questions well. it was a morning lecture, so you’d always come in looking half awake, hair all fluffy and cradling an americano.” 

wooseok pauses to exhale for the first time since he started.

“you had no idea how i felt about you but you pulled me into the closet at that party anyway. i knew it meant nothing to you but i let it happen. maybe i thought you’d fall for me like how i had for you.”

realization finally, _ finally _ spreads across hangyul’s face.

“oh my god, wooseok,” he breathes with wide eyes. the truth creates a barrier between them, almost tangible with how it keeps their eyes averted from one another and their lips shut for what feels like hours.

“i had no idea,” hangyul breaks the silence at last, “if i’d known-”

“you wouldn’t have done it?” wooseok chokes out.

“do not put words in my mouth.” there’s a strain in hangyul’s words as he fights to keep his voice low. 

“you said it yourself, you could never be with me.” 

and hangyul’s heart sinks because wooseok is right. he had thought that, years ago. 

being admitted to university on two scholarships and financial aid made hangyul desperate to prove himself to anyone who looked his way. it was easy to get a chip on his shoulder when the only people who drew gazes were those dripping in prada and gucci and everything else that, to hangyul, meant they had never felt the self-doubt that so often rendered him breathless when he thought of his future. 

the chip went away with time, and a lot of maturing. seungyoun repeatedly smacking hangyul upside the head and reminding him _ ‘the world’s got nothing against you’ _ pretty well knocked it off for good.

now, being around someone like wooseok and the wealth he was accustomed to long before running his own law firm doesn’t shake hangyul’s confidence like it used to. it could put him on edge, but wooseok would bring him down with one call of hangyul’s name or one gentle brush of his hand along hangyul’s waist. 

hangyul doesn’t want one night anymore. he wants every night, and every morning with wooseok. 

“wooseok.” the elder looks up as hangyul calls his name, doe eyes shining with unshed tears. “i’m sorry i made you feel like i didn’t want you. even then, _ especially _then.” hangyul has no idea if his words are conveying how much he regrets hurting wooseok, no matter how unwitting it was, so he continues rambling,

“i was a stupid freshman with a grudge against anyone who wasn’t brutally insecure like i was. it-” hangyul stops, caught off guard as wooseok starts nodding.

“you were really stupid,” the elder agrees, sniffling lightly. hangyul laughs out of relief. there’s the wooseok he knows. 

“you were the one in love with me.” that makes wooseok laugh. the space that the truth had put between them suddenly evaporates.

“we can call it even then?” wooseok asks.

“yeah,” hangyul replies, drawing wooseok under his arm. “why didn’t you just tell me?” he wonders aloud a minute later.

“what was i supposed to say?” wooseok’s eyes are wide and full of expression again, “i knew it was you from the second i walked into the club, but _ ‘hey we fucked at a party five years ago’ _isn’t exactly the best pickup line.”

_ fair _, hangyul thinks.

“i wanted it to be a fresh start,” the elder admits.

“then let’s make it one.” hangyul stands, extending his hand to wooseok, “lee hangyul.” 

“kim wooseok.” a small smirk crosses his face.

“do you want to get out of here? i know a good_ dalkbal _ place nearby.” 

wooseok nods and doesn’t let go of hangyul’s hand. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! comments and kudos are always appreciated~  
by the way the song hangyul danced to was closer by tvxq.
> 
> also i made a twitter! come talk to me @rosyyoun ^^


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